At... a time like this?
Hada Ichiba's eyes flew open. Looking at the snapped Steel Wire that had been strung along the outermost perimeter, he frowned. At last, an alarmed look—the kind that said things were very bad—flashed across his face, one he had not shown once since the Chunin Exams began.
The Steel Wire of the alarm device had snapped. Clearly, something had arrived.
And according to the communication just now, everyone from Kusagakure was far away from him. It was impossible for any of them to appear near him at this time.
Whoever had triggered this dedicated alarm was very likely from another ninja village.
In other words, whoever was coming had to be an enemy.
They really know how to pick their timing! Hada Ichiba slowly lowered the hand that was forming the seal to refine Chakra, this thought unconsciously passing through his mind.
From their perspective, this enemy—or rather, this group of enemies—had truly come at the perfect time.
At this moment, Hada Ichiba was in the worst condition he had been in since arriving in Konoha.
The communication just now had consumed a great deal of his Chakra, and he needed a considerable amount of time to recover. The technique he used for communication was not a sensory ninja's perception link. It was the same technique he had used to contact Hada Ryuhiko and Hada Anna during the first exam, only with a wider range and clearer communication. Of course, it also consumed Chakra much more intensely.
And due to this technique's properties, once it ended, the Chakra it consumed became extremely difficult to recover. It would take at least three times longer than usual to replenish.
In other words, not only had Hada Ichiba expended a tremendous amount of Chakra, but his Chakra recovery